August 30, 2015

On Saturday, 29 August 2015, a criminal court in Cairo sentenced three journalists – Mohamed Fahmy, Baher Mohamed and Peter Greste – to years in prison in a retrial of what has become known as the Al-Jazeera case. (With them, three young Egyptians were also sentenced, although not ever having worked for the TV-Station Al-Jazeera.)

The criticism at the now second farcial and clearly politically motivated verdict, accusing the journalists of "falsifying news" and broadcasting material that was "harmful to national security" by covering events happening in Egypt in 2013, was powerful. Human rights organisations, the world press and governments of the US, the UK, the Netherlands voiced their outrage and concern at this travesty of justice.

For the Egyptian government of President Sisi this was to be expected, seeing that nothing was done before the verdict to prevent such a development. Yet after the criticism of the verdict, Egypt today summoned the British Ambassador to express Egypt‘s rejection of "unacceptable interference". Egypt thus hopes to silence the world with its justified criticism and reporting – and fails epically.

See here just a ‘small‘ number of international media that has covered the sham trial in Cairo against the journalists – who did nothing else but their job: report the truth.

In trying to silence reporting by three journalists, Egypt has evoked for over 20 months now a constant reporting by hundreds of media outlets the world over. If anything has damaged the reputation of Egypt, the stubborn ruthlessness by the regime to attack a free press and individual journalists has.

A shot-in-foot story if ever there was one. And unless the regime of President Sisi finally gets this, the reporting and subsequently damaging of Egypt's reputation will continue. Worldwide. For as long as such attacks continue and definitely until the journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed, criminally held in jail now, are set free and allowed to return to their families.